7 Mailchimp Alternatives for Small Businesses (Cheaper and Simpler)

Let's be honest: Mailchimp used to be the obvious choice for small business email marketing. Free plan, friendly interface, that little monkey logo. But after Intuit acquired them in 2021, things have shifted. The free plan now caps at 500 contacts (down from 2,000). Pricing has crept up. The interface has gotten more complex.

If you're running a small business — whether that's an online shop, a local service, or a growing newsletter — you don't need a marketing suite. You need to send great-looking emails to people who actually want to hear from you. And you need it to not cost a fortune.

Here are 7 Mailchimp alternatives for small businesses that are genuinely cheaper, simpler, or both. No affiliate bias — just honest comparisons.

Quick Comparison: Pricing at a Glance

Prices as of mid-2025. All prices reflect annual billing where available.

1. Brevo (Formerly Sendinblue) — Best Overall Value

Brevo prices by emails sent rather than subscribers, which is a fundamentally different (and often cheaper) model. If you have 5,000 contacts but only email them twice a month, you'll pay a fraction of what Mailchimp charges.

Best for: Small ecommerce shops, service businesses, anyone who emails less frequently.

• Unlimited contacts on every plan (including free)
• Transactional emails, SMS, and WhatsApp built in
• Solid automation builder at the Starter tier
• Clean drag-and-drop editor that supports custom HTML templates

The catch: The free plan adds Brevo branding. The email editor is functional but not as polished as Mailchimp's. Reporting on the Starter plan is basic.

2. MailerLite — Best for Simplicity

MailerLite is what Mailchimp used to be: simple, affordable, and focused. The interface is intuitive enough that you can set up your first campaign in under 10 minutes. No marketing jargon, no feature overload.

Best for: Solopreneurs, bloggers, small businesses that want to send newsletters without a learning curve.

• Generous free plan: 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month
• Beautiful built-in templates (or import your own HTML)
• Landing pages, pop-ups, and a website builder included
• Automation workflows even on free plan

The catch: Free plan doesn't include auto-resend to unopens or newsletter templates. The approval process for new accounts can be strict — they reject accounts that look like potential spammers.

3. Kit (Formerly ConvertKit) — Best for Creators

Kit (they rebranded from ConvertKit in 2024) is purpose-built for creators, writers, and anyone selling digital products. It's not the cheapest option, but the subscriber tagging system and automation are genuinely best-in-class for the creator economy.

Best for: Newsletter writers, course creators, podcasters, anyone selling digital products.

• Free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers (seriously)
• Subscriber tagging and segmentation are excellent
• Built-in commerce for selling digital products
• Creator Network for cross-promotion

The catch: Paid plans start at $29/mo, which is more than MailerLite or Brevo. The email editor is intentionally minimal — plain-text style. If you want beautiful visual emails, you'll want to import HTML templates instead.

4. Beehiiv — Best for Newsletter Growth

Beehiiv was built by former Morning Brew employees, and it shows. Everything is optimized for newsletter growth: referral programs, recommendations, SEO-friendly web archives, and ad monetization.

Best for: Newsletter-first businesses, media companies, content creators focused on audience growth.

• Free plan includes 2,500 subscribers with no sending limits
• Built-in referral program (like Morning Brew's milestone rewards)
• Ad network for newsletter monetization
• Beautiful web archive that doubles as your website

The catch: It's newsletter-focused, so it's not ideal if you need traditional marketing automation (abandoned cart emails, drip sequences for ecommerce). Limited template customization without HTML knowledge.

5. EmailOctopus — Best Budget Option

EmailOctopus doesn't try to compete with enterprise features. It does one thing well: let you send good-looking emails to your list without paying much. The free plan is one of the most generous available.

Best for: Bootstrapped businesses, side projects, anyone who needs "good enough" at the lowest price.

• Free plan: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month
• Paid plans start at just $9/mo for 500 contacts
• Simple interface — basic automation, landing pages
• Supports custom HTML templates for full design control

The catch: Reporting is minimal. Automation is basic (think: welcome sequences, not complex conditional logic). No built-in CRM or advanced segmentation. If you want professional-grade email design, pair it with EmailKits templates for a premium look without the premium price.

6. Buttondown — Best for Writers Who Code

Buttondown is a minimalist newsletter platform that appeals to developers and technical writers. It supports Markdown, has a clean API, and doesn't try to upsell you on features you don't need.

Best for: Developers, technical writers, anyone who prefers Markdown over drag-and-drop.

• Markdown-first composing experience
• Clean, well-documented API
• Paid newsletter support built in
• Custom domains, RSS-to-email, and subscriber tags

The catch: The free plan only supports 100 subscribers. No visual drag-and-drop editor. It's intentionally bare-bones — great if that's what you want, frustrating if you expect Mailchimp-level polish.

7. Loops — Best for SaaS and Product Companies

Loops is the newest player here, designed specifically for SaaS companies. If you're sending product onboarding emails, changelog updates, or user engagement campaigns, Loops is built for exactly that.

Best for: SaaS startups, product-led companies, developer teams.

• Event-driven email workflows (user signed up, completed action, etc.)
• Clean, modern interface with good developer docs
• Transactional and marketing emails in one platform
• Free plan for up to 1,000 contacts

The catch: More expensive than alternatives at scale. Not designed for traditional marketing (ecommerce, retail). Still a young platform — feature set is growing but not yet comprehensive.

So When Should You Actually Stick with Mailchimp?

Credit where it's due — Mailchimp is still a solid choice in some scenarios:

• You need deep integrations. Mailchimp connects to more third-party tools than almost anyone else.
• You're already invested. If you've built complex automations in Mailchimp, migrating has a real cost.
• You want everything in one place. Website builder, social posting, CRM, postcards — Mailchimp has it all (for better or worse).

But if you're a small business that mostly sends newsletters and occasional promotions? You're almost certainly overpaying for features you don't use.

How to Choose: A Quick Decision Framework

• Tightest budget? → EmailOctopus or Brevo
• Growing a newsletter? → Beehiiv or Kit
• Simplest setup? → MailerLite
• SaaS product emails? → Loops
• Developer/writer? → Buttondown

And regardless of which platform you pick: invest in good email templates. The difference between a generic template and a professionally designed one is the difference between emails that get deleted and emails that get read. Check out EmailKits' template library — they work with all of the platforms above.

Need help setting up your email marketing stack? Loki helps small businesses automate their marketing — from template setup to full campaign workflows.